Hamid Aytaç (pronounced Aytach) (b. 1891,

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...

- d. 18 May 1982) was an Islamic calligrapher born during Ottoman times. In his later life, he was acknowledged as the Islamic world's leading

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

and was one of the last of the classical calligraphers.

Life and career

Born Sheikh Musa Azmi, in 1891 in Diyarbakır, his paternal great-grandfather was the calligrapher Adem-i Amidi. In international circles, he is also known as Hamid Al Amidi. Some of his works may be found to be signed as Azmi. He is known by the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Hamid."Hamid Aytac zmi, Musa; al-Amidi, Hamid(1891-1982)", ''Journal of Ottoman Calligraphy''
Hamid Aytac (Azmi, Musa; al-Amidi, Hamid) (1891-1982)
/ref> Hamid learned the jali-thuluth ( Turkish: celi-sülüs) style from Mehmed Nazif (1846–1913), the naskh and

thuluth ''Thuluth'' ( ar, ثُلُث, ' or ar, خَطُّ الثُّلُثِ, '; fa, ثلث, ''Sols''; Turkish: ''Sülüs'', from ' "one-third") is a script variety of Islamic calligraphy. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new s ...

styles from Kamil Akdik (1862–1941) and the ta'liq style from Mehmed Hulusi (1869–1940). He was one of the final links in the strict master-student system that had been in operation in an unbroken line for 500 years. He worked at the Harb School, for the Customs House in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and he briefly worked for the German Map Department in Berlin. Following the war, he opened his own commercial studio in Istanbul which he After the named ''Hattat Hamid Yazıevi''. He was the first calligrapher to bring the techniques of

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...

, embossing and luxury printing to the Turkish

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

. In the tradition of the great calligrapher Ali bin Hilal known as

Ibn al-Bawwab Ibn al-Bawwāb (), also known as Ali ibn-Hilal, Abu'l-Hasan, and Ibn al-Sitri, was an Arabic calligrapher and illuminator who lived in Baghdad. He is the figure most associated with the adoption of round script to transcribe the Qur'an. He most ...

, Aytaç was acknowledged as the leading calligrapher by the Arab world, and when he passed the age of 90 years, the mantle was passed onto his former student, Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi, who would the last of the classical calligraphers. In handing over the role of leading calligrapher, Aytaç, in a clear reference to the importance of the medieval

Baghdad School The Baghdad School, also known as the Arab school, was a relatively short-lived yet influential school of Islamic art developed during the late 12th century in the capital Baghdad of the ruling Abbasid Caliphate. The movement had largely died o ...

, said of al-Baghdadi, "the line grew up in Baghdad and ended there. He died on 18 May, 1982 and was buried in the

Karacaahmet Cemetery The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Turkey ...

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...

district, Istanbul. He was the last of the Ottoman calligraphers.Eriş, M.N. (ed.), ''Hat Sanatında Vazifeli Bir Hattat: Hamid Aytaç'', calligrapher on duty in art of calligraphy: Hamid Aytaç Istanbul, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, 2011

Work

His works are on display in many countries including

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. His works are also on display in many newly built

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

. Some of his notable students include Hasan Çelebi, Fuat Bașar and Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi.

References

External links

Klasik Hüsn-i Hat Eserlerinden Örnekler

Hamid Aytaç

'hamit aytaç' ile ilgili yazılar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aytac, Hamid 1891 births 1982 deaths Calligraphers from the Ottoman Empire Islamic calligraphy Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery

Life and career

Work

See also

References

External links